Haven Booth
by Hailey C. Black
Summary: Jared died with a secret he had been keeping for seven years, and now that secret has found her way to her Uncle Seeley Booth- the bestest and most bravest FBI agent in the world. Booth/Bones eventually. T for a young child in a bad living situation
1. Chapter 1 I Found You

A/N- Jared and Seeley parted on bad terms nearly a year ago and now Jared has died in an accident. (He had been in the war zone in Iraq as part of his job as a liaison with the Pentagon.) This story is set sometime in season 3. Thats how far I've watched the show consecutively. I have up to season 4 on DVD but haven't gotten there yet. I have watched this season (7) religiously though. (Yay Baby Booth/Bones) But here, Brennan and Booth haven't gotten together yet.

**Word Count:**1,049 (doesn't include author's notes)

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><p><strong>Haven Booth<strong>

**Chapter 1 **I Found You

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><p>Agent Booth was lying on the couch in Dr. Brennan's office, waiting for her to finish up on the platform so they could go. They had just wrapped up a case and were headed out to get dinner. Normally, they'd go out for a few drinks, but ever since the news came in that Jared had been killed in Iraq last month, he just hadn't been in the mood to go <em>drinking.<em> He missed his brother, regretted so many things with him, and he'd never get a chance to make it right. He wished he could've helped Jared more. But they hadn't spoken in a year, and now they never would.

He was laying with his arm over his eyes to shut out the light, so when he sensed someone coming into the room, he assumed it was Bones coming to get him. "You ready to go, Bones? It's about time. I'm starving." He said, not moving from the couch. He heard no response. Then there was a tap on his arm… from a hand too small to be Brennan's, or any adult's for that matter. His first thought was,_ 'What irresponsible jerk let a child wander around, unsupervised, at the Jeffersonian Forensics Lab?'_

When he opened his eyes, he was met with a pair of the bluest eyes he'd ever seen; like bright sapphires lit from behind. _'And I didn't just think that.' _Booth shook his head. She spoke.

"Are you Mr. Seeley Booth, the bestest, most bravest FBI agent in the whole world?" She asked with obvious hope. Booth studied the girl from his reclined position on the couch.

She was short. She was missing her two front teeth, but she hadn't spoken with a lisp; she just couldn't quite get her R's fully pronounced. Her hair was hidden partially under a pink ball cap, but was hanging in messy, dark blond ringlets that reached just past her shoulders. She had a smudge of dirt on her cheek. She was wearing a white turtleneck under an overall dress made of denim, with white tights, pink shoes that looked like they may have once lit up when she walked, and a backpack. She looked, at the most, six years old. Booth made all of these observations in just over a minute, but by the look on the little girl's face, he had kept her waiting too long for a response.

"Yeah, I guess I am." He said with a smirk. He glanced up at the door, but there was no one there. He had expected whoever she belonged to, to be looking in with a smile for her blatant flattery and over all adorableness. '_Adorableness? Where did I come up with that one? I've got to stop watching My Little Pony with Parker.'_

"You guess?" She asked, pulling Booth's attention back to her from the empty doorway. "How can you _guess_ you are someone? You _are_ someone or you are _not_ someone. Unless you have Namnesia and you don't know who you are, then maybe you would guess. But you don't have Namnesia, right?" She asked skeptically. Booth laughed.

"No I don't have _am_nesia, and yes, I _am_ Seeley Booth. Can I help you with something? Do you need help finding your mommy or daddy?" He asked.

"No, my daddy died. And he told me that if my mommy ever told me that he was dead, I was supposed to get away and call you. E'cept I lost the phone number he gave me. But I did remember he told me that you worked at the FBI. I didn't know how to get _there_, but my daddy brought me here, once, to the museum and I remembered he said that you worked with the Bone-lady in a lab here. I also remembered which train stop you have to get off at to come to the museum. So I came here. And then I found a sign that told me where the lab was. I'm really glad I found you, because sneaking past the guy who watches the door was really hard. And then I had to wait a really long time for someone to come out of those big slidey doors so I could sneak in. And I still get words wrong sometimes when I read, so I wasn't sure if this was where the Bone-lady works. But then her name was on the sign by this door, and I saw you laying in here and I thought I must have found the right place. And now I found you." She finished by wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

Seeley had already sat up sometime in the middle of her mile-a-minute speech, and was still processing when she shocked him by climbing into his lap to give him a strangling hug. After a few moments he realized that the gist of her little speech was that her father had told her to find Booth if he was dead, because her mother wasn't to be trusted with her, and she had come to the Jeffersonian, _alone_, from wherever it is she lived in order to do just that. Now he was utterly confused. He didn't realize he knew anyone well enough that they would send their little girl to him if they _died._ In fact, he hadn't heard of anyone dying recently. …wait.

"What is your father's name?" Booth asked the little girl who had snuggled into his neck. She sat back on his knees to look at him when she answered.

"Daddy." She said, with her head tilted to the side in confusion.

"Yes, your daddy- what was his name?" Booth asked again.

"His name was Daddy." She said, giving him a look that inexplicably made him feel stupid.

"Alright, then, what is your name?" Booth tried. The little girl smiled, showing off her missing front teeth.

"My name is Haven Seeley Alexandria Booth."

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><p>AN- Leave me a review, please :) I'll be updating this tomorrow. And I mean that this time. So tell me, what are your theories on Haven's situation? What do you see happening next? Do you think Haven talks like a six-nearly-seven year old? And can someone give me an idea of how old Parker was at the end-abouts of season 3? Would anyone like to Beta this story for me? The job would involve badgering me to write the next chapter, and helping me get this into some semblance of a cohesive plot. That may include helping me brainstorm a bit of an outline for this story. I've gotten the basic direction down but I'm not set on the major conflicts of this story besides Booth finding out he has a niece and trying to get custody of her from her horrible mother, and becoming a full-time dad as opposed to a part time dad like he is with Parker.


	2. Chapter 2 I'll Explain Later

**A/N- **Hope you like this chapter. It's sort of where Booth's shock comes in full force:)

**Word Count: **810

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong> I'll Explain Later

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><p>Booth was stunned. He looked at the little girl in his lap, at her face- her smile, and he saw Jared. He almost felt stupid for not noticing it before.<p>

"Haven…" Booth cleared his throat to keep it from breaking, "_Seeley_ Alexandria Booth?"

"That's right. My Daddy gave me that name. He said that I was his safe place, that nothing bad could touch him when I was with him. Which I think is silly, because Daddy was really strong and so no bad guys could get him even if I wasn't with him… but I don't think that's what he meant, probly. And he gave me your name, too. He said you were the bestest big brother in the world and that you were the smartest, bravest, nicest man he ever knew, so you deserved to have an angel named after you. I'm not really an angel though; I'm just a little girl." Haven babbled as she played with the end of Seeley's tie with her little fingers.

Booth couldn't speak. His throat was closing around a knot and his eyes were burning. He thought his brother had hated him. He thought everything had been ruined between them and he'd never see his brother again. But here was this little girl who was a part of Jared- she had his smile, his eyes, the same sparkle in her eyes that Jared had when he laughed- and she was telling him how much his brother had looked up to him… had loved him.

Booth pulled her into his arms again, and Haven responded by wrapping all of her limbs around Seeley's torso and neck. He wiped his eyes with one hand, running his hand over his face to stop at his mouth. He couldn't believe this was happening. He had been praying for the last month to just have his little brother back in whatever way He could manage, and now this little girl shows up who is apparently Jared's daughter.

…his daughter that ran away from her home, her _mother, _when she heard of her father's death… like she had been following _orders _to do so. Why would Jared tell his daughter to travel through _D.C., alone_ no less, to find Seeley? If Haven had really been in that much danger with her mother- danger that necessitated a six year old girl travel in this city by herself to find a _stranger_- why had Jared left Haven there? Why didn't Jared _tell _anyone- why hadn't he told Booth? If Booth had known… well, he wasn't sure what this situation was, but something was obviously fishy.

Booth's thoughts were chaotic- he didn't know what to do here.

_._._._._._._._._._.

Brennan walked into her office to an unusual sight- Booth had a young girl wrapped in his arms. By Temperance's estimations, the little girl couldn't be more than seven years old. This sparked many questions in her mind, including— Where had she come from? Everyone else who worked at the Jeffersonian Institute Forensics Lab had already left for the day, except for the night-security team; and even if the girl belonged to one of the security guards, why would she be in _her_ office and hugging _Booth_? And—

"Booth?" Brennan inquired. "Why is there a child in your lap?"

Booth raised his head from the child's shoulder and Brennan nearly gasped. There were tears in Seeley's eyes. She knew he only showed his emotions that clearly when he was in overwhelming distress.

Brennan sat down beside Booth on the couch and waited for him to clear his throat of the emotion which was clearly hindering his ability to speak.

"Bones, meet Haven. Haven this is 'the Bone-lady' Dr. Temperance Brennan." Booth said as the little girl pulled away some to observe her. Brennan raised her eyebrow at Booth's expression. He obviously was only giving introductions like this out of habit. He still looked withdrawn in his thoughts. But, still- Brennan knew the expected, polite response to an introduction, so stuck her hand out to the little girl.

_._._._._._._._._._.

Booth gave introductions when Bones discovered them in her office. He wasn't sure what else he should do, but this gave him a moment to clear his head and start planning. While watching Haven take Bones' hand and give it a shake, he noticed that she was tired. She hadn't even lifted her head from his shoulder.

"Hey Bones, instead of going to dinner, why don't we pick something up and have it at my place?" he said, nodding toward the Haven. Brennan raised her eyebrow at him and he gave her a look that said he'd explain it all later. Brennan just gave him a confused look. "I'll explain it all once we get to my place." He sighed with a hint of exasperation.

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><p><strong>AN**- Please tell me what you think. :) And I need a Beta please! For next chapter. I seriously need someone else's thoughts on it before I publish it. It's from Haven's POV and goes over why she ran to find Uncle Seeley. It also has a little flashback portion in Jared's POV. So let me know if there's anyone who wants to Beta this! And the next chapter should be out as soon as I find a suitable Beta:)


	3. Chapter 3 Orders To Follow

**A/N- **This chapter had me feeling a bit insecure. Then I sat down and thought more about what's going on here and what had gone on with Jared and Haven's momma:) Now I'm feeling a bit more confident in where I'm going with this:) Thanks to gatheringOguidos for Beta-ing this chapter for me:)

**Word Count:** 1,419

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong> Orders To Follow

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><p>As Haven was resting her head on her Uncle Seeley's shoulder, she remembered the night before.<p>

Her mother had been drinking a lot, and Haven had been hiding like her Daddy taught her to do. It was like all the other times this had happened. Her mother had told her to go to her room and then pulled out one of the bottles that had the nasty stuff that burned Haven's nose when she got close enough to smell it. She knew it was called vodka, since she could read already.

Haven had let her mother see her walking to her room, but when she turned away, Haven went to the hall closet and hid in her secret place. Her daddy had called it a crawlspace. Haven had put the board that covered it back and turned on the flashlight that hung from a nail on the back wall. It wasn't very big, but Haven could stand on her knees and could lie down on the floor all the way stretched out, so she thought it was just the right size for a secret hiding place. It also was really comfortable since she had a big blanket to cover the floor and a fluffy pillow in case she needed to sleep in there. She also had her emergency backpack that her daddy had helped her pack.

She hadn't been in there a long time before the yelling had started. She had only gotten to read two chapters of her favorite Nancy Drew book. Her mother had been yelling for her to come out of her room, that she had something to tell her. She heard her go into Haven's room and when she found Haven was gone- her mother had started to throw things around.

"Where are you, you little shit? You hidin' again? Did your goddamn _Daddy_ teach you to hide from me? Well? Get your ass out here, brat!"

Haven just did what her father had told her to do. She covered her ears and didn't listen to her mother's words. She knew that whatever she said when she was drinking the vodka stuff wasn't true. Her mother only said those sorts of things when she was drinking. But sometimes it wasn't too bad- she'd just cry a little and say sorry a lot and then fall asleep. And her mother didn't drink every day. Sometimes she went a whole week without drinking. Those times, she would pretend like Haven wasn't there, or she would even be nice to her.

Haven had figured this was going to be a time like those other times her mother had yelled this loud- she was going to have to sleep back there. It was a good thing she already had her pajamas on.

When she started to fluff her pillow up and pull the end of her blanket up for covers, she heard a loud bang. It sounded like something had fallen just outside the closet. Haven knew she wasn't allowed to check, but she thought it may have been her mother. She had put her ear to the little door and listened.

It _had_ been her mother. And she was sobbing. Hearing her mother cry made Haven a little sad, but she couldn't help her. She would 'compromise' her hiding spot and her Daddy told her never to do that. Once it was 'compromised' it wouldn't be a secret anymore and then it wouldn't be safe.

When Haven was about to go back to fixing up her little bed, she heard her mother say something that made her freeze.

"Why did you have to go and die on me, you bastard? Why did you leave me here alone to take care of your _precious _daughter? Why couldn't you have loved _me_?"

Haven understood what her mother was crying about- her daddy had died. Haven crawled back to her pillow and lay her head down on it. She had wondered why Daddy hadn't called or come to visit in so long, but she didn't want to think the worst.

Normally, she would call him every morning, and he would answer if he could, but if he couldn't, Haven would leave a message and then her Daddy had promised he would listen to it and call her back when he could. That always meant he was somewhere far away for his job, but he would still sometimes call her back to say goodnight. And when he was home, he would come and visit her every week. He would take Haven to the park or he would stay with her at her house, if her mother was gone, and teach her things, like how to read. Sometimes they'd ride the train into the city and eat at a restaurant or go to the museum, and he'd teach her about how to read maps and how the subway worked. He would take her to the store and teach her how to count the right amount of money to pay for what she wanted. When they stayed home, he would teach Haven how to stay hidden, to stay in shadows and sneak around… that was her favorite game. Her daddy would call her a sneaky ninja if she could make it all the way out of the house without him finding her first.

As Haven lay down and remembered her Daddy, she had cried. She would never see her Daddy again and she knew she would miss him. But, now, she had orders to follow. Her daddy had told her before he went on away for this 'dangerous job', like he had done all the times before that.

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><p>"<em>First, if your mother tells you that I'm dead, cry. Cry your little heart out, but only for one night. After that, you just remember that I'll be looking down on my little angel from heaven, and you don't need to feel sad anymore."<em>

"_Okay, Daddy." He hugged Haven close to his chest._

"_Second, you wait until morning and you call your Uncle Seeley. You remember where you put his card?" Haven gestured toward the closet, "That's right; it's in the emergency pack. You call him and you tell him your name and that your Daddy is dead and that you need him to come and get you. And then you take your pack, get out of here without letting your mother know, and you wait for him at the train station." Haven nodded, and Jared kissed her head. She was a brilliant little girl, and he knew with everything she'd been taught, she could take care of herself long enough to find his brother if the need be._

_As he had every time they went over this contingency plan, he hoped that his baby girl would never have to do this, but he needed her to be prepared. If he wasn't around anymore, no one would be there to protect Haven from her mother. _

_He planned for this to be his last job though. He would be coming back and taking up a new position here in D.C. He was basically going to be a desk jockey, but he'd take that any day if it meant he could finally take his daughter home, and away from her mother. He could finally tell Seeley about her, about how he may have made so many mistakes in his life but had finally gotten something _right_. _

_He just hoped everything ran smoothly on this last trip to Iraq._

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><p>Haven was happy in her Uncle Seeley's arms. He was there to protect her so she could finally rest. She had been up since early this morning, making sure to follow all of the orders her daddy had given her. And when the plan hadn't quite worked out, she made up her own. She had a feeling though, that her daddy knew she might have had to find Uncle Seeley by herself— she had used all the things he had taught her to get to the museum.<p>

After she met the Bone-lady, Uncle Seeley picked her up, and he carried her all the way to his car. He put her in the backseat and buckled her in, and him and 'Bones' got in the front seats. She tried to stay awake, but Uncle Seeley said that it was okay to fall asleep— he would wake her when they got home.

Haven finally drifted off with a smile never leaving her face.

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><p><strong>AN-** Thanks for reading! Leave me your thoughts:) Thanks again to gatheringOguidos for Beta-ing this chapter for me:)

Next chapter will be a little while maybe. I'm not sure where my motivation went. Your reviews do help though:) Just sayin'


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